occurred to me that my learning curve was a cliff with an overhang, and I was at the bottom
looking up.
I was extremely lucky to find a job almost immediately following graduation last January.
However, this opportunity was not trouble-free; there were additional risks to consider at the
time I made the decision to change. Our company was in the middle of negotiations to merge
with another international pharmaceutical company, GlaxoWellcome Pharmaceuticals. As
details of the merger were released, we were informed that the majority of the money saved
in the merger was going to be invested back into research and discovery. In other words,
because of the patent applications that I draft and prosecute, my job as a patent agent will
play an essential role in the inventive process in the new company. Daily interaction with
inventors keeps me up-to-date with cutting-edge technology in the biotechnology field. As my
work progressed, I knew I had made the right decision, and I have never looked back.
In October, I took the complex patent bar examination. My determination to take the
examination straight away was derived from my desire to become a registered patent agent
before entering law school, so that my academic studies will not suffer while I attempt to
balance a career and my education. I am now hoping to complete the career transition over
the next four years by attending law school at Villanova University and becoming a patent
attorney. A few weeks ago, I was offered the opportunity to move to our new research facility
in North Carolina, but declined the offer in hopes of attending Villanova's law program, which
is well respected among the various pharmaceutical companies on the East Coast for its
intellectual property education.
Intellectual property is a crucial asset to our company, and I take generating and protecting
these assets very seriously. A considerable part of my job involves "translating" science for
attorneys and patent law for scientists. I also have to be able to understand a new result
quickly enough to grasp what the specific invention is and ask further questions which allow
me to distill the invention down to its bare essence. Organization is also key-this is
something I learned as a matter of self-preservation, since this is a deadline-driven, and
sometimes crisis-driven, job.
I now believe that my job as a patent agent is not a break with the past; rather, it is an
exciting, alternative continuation of my career as a scientist. The patent applications that I
draft and prosecute make me a critical part of the inventive process at SmithKline Beecham.
Furthermore, my interactions with inventors on a daily basis keep me up to date with the
latest technology. Not so long ago, when I began research as an undergraduate, I wondered
what impact I would have on the development of new scientific knowledge. Through my work
as a patent agent, I know that I am a key participant in the promotion of scientific progress.
I still run into acquaintances from my research days who ask me why I "left science." I am
quick to set them straight. I may not get my hands wet, but I use far more of my education
and training than I ever did at the bench, and I am very much still in science. I firmly believe
my experiences in science and patent prosecution will allow me to be a creative and
contributing member of Villanova University, both as a student and as a future attorney
representing achievement.